South Africa set a record of 25.3-million voter turnout in 2014 election

A record 25.3-million South Africans are now on the voters’ roll – 80.5 percent of eligible voters. Just over 4,000 first-time voters have registered at South Africa’s foreign missions over the last month, with an estimated 3,000 having registered in London. South Africa registered another 1.2 million voters on the final voter registration weekend ahead of the country’s general elections on 7 May, Independent Electoral
Commission (IEC) chairperson Pansy Tlakula said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, Tlakula said new registrations over the past weekend – 1 259 560 in total – had increased the overall registration level to 80.5 percent of eligible voters, with a record 25.3-million South Africans now on the voters’ roll. Taking into account the 1.1-million first-time voters who registered in November, some 2.3 million new voters are to be added onto the voters’ roll – about 17% higher than the 2 million target set by the IEC, she said.

In total, just short of 3 million people visited our 22 263 voting stations this weekend. That is 16 percent higher than the 2.5-million who visited voting stations in November.”
She said it was “encouraging” to see that 79.89 percent (or 1 006 260 people) of all new registrations were voters under the age of 30. This included:

• 691 002 voters aged 20-29;
• 255 398 voters aged 18 and 19; and
• 59 860 voters aged 16 and 17.

A further 1.48-million registered voters also used the opportunity to change their voting station, according to Tlakula, while 183 377 people re-registered at the same voting station.
Women comprised 51.50 percent of new registrations, while men comprised 48.50 percent, according to the IEC.

Overall registration levels for estimated eligible voters:

The overall registration level against estimated eligible population for the provinces are as follows:

• Eastern Cape – 85.3 percent
• Free State – 85.8 percent
• Gauteng – 77 percent
• KwaZulu-Natal – 83.6 percent
• Limpopo – 81 percent
• Mpumalanga – 77.3 percent
• North West – 78.5 percent
• Northern Cape – 84.3 percent
• Western Cape – 77.8 percent

Just over 4,000 first-time voters have registered at South Africa’s foreign missions over the last month.
“As of yesterday we had received 3,521 applications for registration. According to figures provided by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, we anticipate approximately 700 more applications being couriered to us for capturing,” Tlakula said. Registration conducted at correctional facilities resulted in 9 949 registration applications by inmates. Overseas registration has now closed but eligible voters in South Africa can still register at their local IEC office until 5pm on the day of the official proclamation of the election date, which is expected to be later this month, after which the voters’ roll closes.


Source:  .The SouthAfrican